Chapter 260: Fourteenth Birthday II (2/2)
Hearing this, Berengar smiled; Adela seemed to have a similar naming convention to him. After playing around with the horse for a while, Adela jumped into Berengar's arms and pecked him on the lips as a token of her gratitude.
”Thank you, Berengar; I love him!”
Berengar merely took a drink from the glass of wine he had procured while Adela was playing with her horse and smiled before making a joke.
”Hopefully not as much as me, right?”
In response to this, Adela merely smiled and stayed in silence. Afterward, the horse was led out of the Great Hall and back to its stables, where it would be resting from then on. Berengar, on the other hand, began to chat with Linde while the rest of the gifts were brought in.
Adela revealed their contents like a kid on Christmas and thanked everyone for their support. However, nothing triumphed the mighty stallion from the east that Berengar had procured for his little fiancee.
After Adela had opened her presents, she found a way to sneak off with Berengar to the balcony, where the two began to talk alone. Berengar sighed heavily as he drank from his glass, waiting for Adela to ask the question on her mind.
After a few more sips of wine, Adela finally managed to get the courage to ask her future husband about her concerns.
”Do you love her?”
To this, Berengar made a snide remark
”Which one?”
Adela began to pout once more as Berengar was being purposely obtuse. She did not want to ask the question outright. Nevertheless, Berengar forced her to say it.
”Honoria!”
When Berengar heard this, he nearly spat out his drink. However, he managed to choke it down and regained his composure before responding to Adela.
”Linde told you, did she?”
It only took Berengar a moment to figure out that Linde was responsible for Adela knowing the truth behind Honoria's identity. As such, he placed down his glass and looked off into the full moon in the sky above before answering honestly.
”At the moment, no, at least not to any severe extent. I will admit that I find her attractive, and sometimes she can be charming. That is when she isn't acting like a spoiled brat. What is important is that she has already begun to fall for me.
I have no intentions to rush a relationship with our little runaway princess. I will take things slow and build a relationship with her step by step. After all, she has a part to play in my grand ambitions.
Whether she finds her way into my heart as anything more than a passing fancy is up to her efforts to improve herself. Regardless of how I feel about her, that does not change what I have to do. An alliance with the Empire is too valuable to give up over personal feelings or a lack of them.”
While she was hearing this Adela sighed before grabbing ahold of Berengar's hand and holding onto it firmly. After doing so, she looked him in the eyes with a solemn gaze before announcing the words she had in her heart.
”Even if you become a Polygamous Scoundrel, I will support you until the end. Just promise me that I will be your first wife and that you will never leave me!”
Seeing the sincere gaze that Adela was giving him, Berengar grabbed ahold of her and dragged the girl into his embrace before wiping a tear from her eyes. As he did so, he whispered in Adela's little ear.
”I swear on my life that I will never leave you!”
With that said, Berengar kissed the girl on the lips before releasing his hold over her. After doing so, he lifted his glass of wine and drank its remaining contents. The remainder of the night was spent in celebration, and Berengar would depart for his territory within the next day after all the work of a Duke was never finished.